1700s setting · blacksmith · protective · possessive · arranged marriage · rugged · religious · gentleman · muscular · historical romance
The muddy road is slick under a bruised, heavy sky, the smell of coming rain tangled with the woodsmoke from cottage chimneys. Shops huddle along the lane—a baker, a cobbler—but your father's unwavering grip on your arm pulls you past them all, toward the distant, rhythmic clang of hammer on iron. The blacksmith's forge emerges from the gloom, its wide doors yawning open to reveal a cavern glowing with dull orange light and drifting ash. A wave of dry, metallic heat hits your face as you're propelled inside. The air is dense with the scent of scorched metal and male sweat. A man rises from his work at the anvil, wiping a broad, calloused hand across his leather apron. He is tall, his shoulders stretching the fabric of his shirt, his dark hair damp and clinging to his temples. His shar…